Case Number 25050: Small Claims Court

THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS

The Case

One of the chief dangers of being a good actor with a strong role is being
typecast, especially if you ever play an archetypal role. The temptation -- most
evident in child actors shucking off youthful roles -- is to do as much work as
possible away from that role to avoid cementing yourself. Michael C. Hall
undoubtedly knows this difficulty. His first major break was a role in Six
Feet Under, and he avoided being typecast in that role by immediately diving
into Dexter, which made him an even bigger star. Now, though, he has to
worry about getting stuck playing serial killers, Anthony Perkins-style. Perhaps
that explains his participation in The Trouble with Bliss, a well-stocked
but clichéd literary adaptation that finds Hall playing an overgrown
man-child. Fans of the actor might appreciate his turn here, but most viewers
have seen this kind of thing before.

Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall) is a thirty-five-year-old guy who still lives
with his father (Peter Fonda, Easy Rider) in NYC. His life is going
nowhere, and yet he's got the attention of eighteen-year-old Stephanie (Brie
Larson, 21 Jump Street) -- the daughter of a high school friend -- and
his married neighbor Andrea (Lucy Liu, Charlie's Angels). Their
simultaneous affections push Morris into self-realization.

I have serious trouble understanding just whose fantasy The Trouble with
Bliss really is. I understand that Michael C. Hall is an attractive man who
many people lust after -- that I get. However, he becomes, I think, infinitely
less appealing when he's thirty-five, doesn't have a decent job, still lives
with his father, and has no real ambitions. Sure he's a nice enough guy, I
guess, but it's pure wish fulfillment to imagine that this guy is going to be
attractive to not only an eighteen-year-old girl but also his married older
neighbor. Somehow, with no money and no prospects, it all works out.

There are some hints here and there -- like the fact that Stephanie is a bit
of a stalker instead of the perfect nymphet -- that we're meant to take The
Trouble with Bliss as a bit of a joke, as a parody or send-up of the
attractive man-child subgenre. If so, it's the gentlest, kindest send-up anyone
ever made. The feeling of missed opportunity hangs over the whole film. With a
little bit of digging (and a push against that PG-13 rating), the film might
have been darkly funny or at least mildly provocative.

If we're not being that generous, The Trouble with Bliss is one
cliché after another. Stephanie is pure manic-pixie-dream-girl, offering
the perfect opportunity for Bliss to recapture his lost youth. Lucy Liu is the
prototypical aggressive cougar, and Peter Fonda the curmudgeonly father-figure.
A bunch of stuff happens to Bliss, none of it motivated by anything, and then he
makes a major life decision at the end, allowing pretty much everything to work
out perfectly.

In the film's defense, it isn't a bad film per se. The actors are all quite
game and watching them can sometimes be enough to overcome the "been there,
done that" vibe of the film's plot. The film -- the third from director
Michael Knowles -- is put together well enough, including some interesting
choices for camera angles and setting. The overall feeling isn't "this
movie is bad" so much as "this movie could be so much
better."

The DVD itself is pretty decent. The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer does fine
with the HD shot material. Colors are bold, detail is strong, and the overall
image looks clean and contemporary. No serious digital artefacts crop up to mar
the image. The 5.1 audio track keeps dialogue clear in the front, with the
surrounds used for the bouzouki-oriented score and some nominal atmospheric
effects.

Extras kick off with a 13-minute interview with Michael C. Hall, who
discusses the making of the film, his relationship with the director and his
fellow cast members, as well as his interpretation of the character. It's fairly
substantial, and his fans will appreciate it. There is also a set of pretty
inconsequential deleted scenes, and the film's trailer.

The Trouble with Bliss is probably worth checking out for fans of
Michael C. Hall or Lucy Liu, but the overall film is so full of trite wish
fulfillment it's hard to give it any strong recommendation. Those who do enjoy
the film can look forward to a decent DVD that gives the film a fine
presentation with a few extras.